In an exciting world first, The Science of Opera with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies will be streamed live exclusively through Twitter from the Royal Opera House as part of the Deloitte Ignite festival. The event will see a team of medical scientists from Imperial College London discovering what happens inside us when we go to the opera. Opera lover Stephen Fry took his friend, Royal Opera virgin and QI panellist Alan Davies, to the Royal Opera House. They were hooked up with the latest medical gadgetry to record the physical effects on their bodies of watching Verdi’s political masterpiece Simon Boccanegra.

The Science of Opera promises some landmark medical discoveries as well as answering some key questions; was Alan Davies won over by opera? Did Stephen Fry get shivers down the spine during the show? Did either of them fall asleep? And what could opera do to you?

Stephen Fry said, ‘I am thrilled that we are able to use vast reach of Twitter to reach so many people with this live-streaming. Hopefully by the end of the evening Alan won’t be the only person persuaded to try opera for the first time.’

The event will also feature a live link-up with opera star Joyce DiDonato, who'll give her reactions to the experiment, as well as telling Stephen and Alan what it's like for those on stage during a performance.

The Science of Opera is one of a number of events taking place as part of Stephen Fry's Deloitte Ignite festival, which celebrates the 200th anniversaries of the birth of both Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. The festival also features a one-man show by Simon Callow, live radio broadcasts, performances and a unique installation in front of the Paul Hamlyn Hall by Es Devlin - who has designed tours for leading artists in the pop world, as well as operas such as David McVicar’s Les Troyens. Join us this weekend for a Festival of Voices, which will include free workshops and performances.

We’re used to discussing opera as an art form, but a Deloitte Ignite event on 29 September will give us the opportunity to look at it from another perspective: that of scientific enquiry. Stephen Fry and Alan Davies will be joined by Professor Michael Trimble to investigate their mental, emotional and physical reaction to an opera.

Opera virgin and QI panellist Alan was recently taken to The Royal Opera's Simon Boccanegra by Stephen. Both were hooked up with the latest medical gadgetry to record the effects on their bodies of watching Verdi's political masterpiece. The Science of Opera aims to explain why we get a rush of blood to the head, goose bumps or shivers down the spine when we are moved by great art. The event is just one of a number throughout the month-long festival celebrating the work of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner in their bicentenary year.